PFA Teams Of The Year 2010/11

Premier League:

Van Der Sar (Man Utd), Sagna (Arsenal), Cole (Chelsea), Vidic (Man Utd), Kompany (Man City), Nani (Man Utd), Nasri (Arsenal), Wilshere (Arsenal), Bale (Tottenham), Tevez (Man City), Berbatov (Man Utd).

Championship:

Kenny (QPR), Naughton (Leicester), Harte (Reading), Williams (Swansea), Morgan (Nottm Forest), Taarabt (QPR), Sinclair (Swansea), King (Leicester), Hoolahan (Norwich), Graham (Watford), Holt (Norwich).

League One:

Davis (Southampton), Calderon (Brighton), Harding (Southampton), Greer (Brighton), Fonte (Southampton), Pilkington (Huddersfield), Bennett (Brighton), Lallana (Southampton), Oxlade-Chamberlain (Southampton), Mackail-Smith (Peterborough), Wright-Phillips (Charlton).

League Two:

Lee (Chesterfield), Batt (Oxford), Skarz (Bury), Sharps (Shrewsbury), Branston (Torquay), Whitaker (Chesterfield), Ainsworth (Wycombe), Ryan (Accrington), Lowe (Bury), Law (Rotherham), Davies (Chesterfield).

Congratulations to all those players selected by their fellow professionals in the 'teams of the year' for the their respective leagues.
From what I understand the players are asked to submit their nominations in the early part of the calender year, some three months or so before the results are revealed - a strange arrangement but none the less that is how it works!

I would like to open up a debate on the players selected in the 'team of the year' for the Premier League.

In the Premier League I find it hard to understand how Blackpool's Charlie Adam, Scott Parker of West Ham and Tottenham's Rafael van der Vaart (right), failed to make the 'team of the year' despite all being nominated for the title of 'PFA Player of the Year' by the Professional Footballers' Association.

Has any player ever made the step up from Championship level to the Premier League look easier? Certainly Charlie Adam has made a mockery of the theory England's top flight is the toughest to crack in the world after taking to it like a duck to water. Nine Premier League goals would be a fine return for any midfielder, never mind one from a side embroiled in a relegation battle, but that is exactly what the Scot has achieved. Few if any possess a better range of passing than the former Rangers man, who also takes a deadly set-piece.

Should Avram Grant's West Ham team win their survival battle and stay afloat then no one will have had a greater impact than their talismanic midfielder Scott Parker.

Rafael van der Vaart, the 2003 European Young Player of the Year made a cracking start to his first season in the Premier League, but injury has restricted him to just 22 league appearances so far, although he has still managed to rattle in 10 goals and 6 assists to his name in that time. At £8m from Real Madrid on the final day of the August transfer window, Van der Vaart probably represents the 'value buy' of the season by Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp.

Kevin Nolan I personally think has had a wonderful season for Newcastle and deserves a mention, if not a place in the 'team of the year.'

In my opinion Everton's England international Leighton Baines (right) has had a truly outstanding season, and it seems tough on the lad that he did not make the 'team of the year' ahead of either Ashley Cole or Bacary Sagna.

Other defensive players who deserve a mention include Stoke's Robert Huth and Birmingham Roger Johnson. Both have had terrific seasons in leading their clubs to domestic cup finals.

I think Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov were deserved winners of the strikers berths. Of Tevez's 19 league goals this season, six have been winners – the highest in the top division. With a further six assists, the Argentinian has either scored or made more goals than anyone else. Bulgarian Berbatov's 22 goals so far this season make him the outright leading goalscorer.

Of the other strikers in the Premier League West Brom's Peter Odemwingie (right), the Russian born Nigerian has made a significant contribution, including 12 goals in his first season in the top flight, that has almost certainly helped The Baggies cement their place in the Premier League for another season.

Manchester United's Mexican striker Javier Hernandez has chipped in with a goal every other game for The Reds this season, and at just 22 years of age he looks like the he will only blossom further under the stewardship of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Aston Villa's Darren Bent and Liverpool's Andy Carroll will each be looking for 'big' seasons next term, following their big money moves this season from Sunderland and Newcastle respectively.

Finally, many congratulations to Gareth Bale (right), who was last night voted the 'Player of the Year' by the Professional Footballers' Association.
The 21-year-old, who has scored 11 goals in 36 club games this season, has proved to be without doubt the single most exciting player of the season. No one has thrilled us more this season than the pacey Welsh wing wizard.

Recent Previous Winners of the PFA Player of the Year:

2009/2010: Wayne Rooney
2008/2009: Ryan Giggs
2007/2008: Cristiano Ronaldo
2006/2007: Cristiano Ronaldo
2005/2006: Steven Gerrard
2004/2005: John Terry
2003/2004: Thierry Henry
2002/2003: Thierry Henry
2001/2002: Ruud van Nistelrooy
2000/2001: Teddy Sheringham
1999/2000: Roy Keane

Argentina set for more World Cup glory - World Cup Betting News with Betfred

VERSUS

You can be sure there will be a huge flood of support across England for Argentina on Saturday as they pray that Diego Maradona's side thrash Germany.

After the Germans swept past England in the last round, fans across the country will be keeping their fingers crossed that Lionel Messi and co. can stop the old enemy from progressing any further. Argentina are priced at World Cup odds of 11/8 to win their quarter-final clash in 90 minutes on Saturday in Cape Town.

One man determined to step up and smack in some goals against the Germans is Carlos Tevez, a striker revered in England for his full-blooded displays in the Premier League for West Ham, and for both of the red and blue halves of Manchester.

The City striker scored two goals, one controversial and one sensational, in the last round and is likely to line-up with Messi and Gonzalo Higuain in an attacking Argentinean line-up.

The form that Tevez and Higuain have shown so far mean they sit at 11/4 and 14/1 respectively to win the World Cup Golden Boot and the 26-year-old Manchester City striker has said that he will "give everything" on Saturday in Cape Town to help his side progress.

"Why not think I can be a champion? Every night, I do," Tevez went on to tell the Clarin Media Group, publishers of the largest newspaper in Argentina.
"I have a hunger for glory so great that I cannot imagine the great sadness there would be without the cup. I could not bear to lose on Saturday."

Tevez certainly sounds like a man who is going to give everything to succeed at the weekend and is 11/2 to score the first goal with Betfred.

However, Messi has done everything but score at the World Cup so far and 4/1 that his luck changes and he scores first could be seen as a good World Cup bet by many football fans.

My Tip Of The Weekend:

I expect it to be a very close game. Four years ago a quarter-final between them went to penalties - and there is every likelihood of it going to extra time this year, so I'm backing Argentina to win over 120 minutes at 8/1.

World Cup 2010 Quarter-Final: Argentina v Germany - Saturday 3rd July, kick-off 3pm GMT

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)

It's The Carlos and Emmanuel Show - Betting News with Betfred

Stoke City fans hoping their side can cause an upset and beat Manchester City in the FA Cup should be wary of a blossoming double act that will be looking to strike them down.

The two sides meet at Eastlands on Saturday to see who will make it into the last eight of the FA Cup and Stoke's defence are going to come up against two strikers who are bang in form and both loving life under new boss Roberto Mancini.

Emmanuel Adebayor and Carlos Tevez both scored in their side's 2-0 win over Bolton in midweek, a result which ensured City continue to put pressure on the Premier League top four. They currently lie fifth, level on points with Liverpool and with two games in hand.

Stoke, 12th in the Premier League must take some comfort from the fact they knocked Premier League title chasers Arsenal out of the FA Cup at The Britannia Stadium in the previous round, but worryingly have only managed to win twice on the road this season, at Tottenham in October in the League and at Leyton Orient in the Carling Cup back in August.

Any punters fancying the Potters to pull off what would be a 'cup shock' can back a Stoke win at odds of 7/1 with Betfred.

However, the FA Cup odds suggest 'The Blues' could go all the way to Wembley and Adebayor fancies their chances.

The Togo skipper has told the club's official website, "he is happy when he sees his strike partner score and the two are working hard together to fire City to success this season."

"If he can score 30 goals and I only score a few, I'll be more than happy. Because if Carlos and his goals help us to win things, I'll be very happy for us all," said Adebayor.

"We still have a chance to be at Wembley in the FA Cup and are in the running for fourth place in the Premier League. We will keep going and enjoy ourselves. We want to keep that dream."

The current form of City's striking duo could mean the Stoke defence are in for a torid 90 minutes and odds of 5/1 for their side to win 2-0 could be seen as a good bet by some fans.


The Tip Of The Weekend:
Carlos Tevez to be first goalscorer and Manchester City to win 3-0 @ 28/1 with Betfred - Saturday 13th February, kick-off 5.15pm, live on ITV1

By Drew Swainston
(Guest writer from Betfred on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)